Ore-separator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F.R.BROWN.

Y 6 om; SEPARATOR. No. 336,507. .Patented Feb. 16, 1886.

By WMM Afro/wir 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

I. R. BROWN.

ORB SBPARATOR.

N. PETEHS. PrwlLimagnpher. wamingim DJ;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS R. BROVN, OF BOULDER, COLORADO.

ORE-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,507, dated February 16, 1886.

Application led September 9, 1885. Serial No. 176,624. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANcrs R. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bouh der, in the county of Boulder and State of Golorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Separators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to Oreseparators which are provided with a rotary diaphragm and an oscillating pan; and it consists in cer tain improvements in the construction and combinations of the parts, which will be hereinafter set forth in the claims appended to this specieation. The Patents llos. 291,872 and 305,284, heretofore granted to me, are referred to as illustrating the general operation and construction of such machines.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved ore-separating machine. Fig. 2 represents a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 represents a detail plan view of the pan. Fig. erepresents a similar View, from below, of the diaphragm having frietion-plates attached. Fig. represents a similar view of a diaphragm having friction-rings instead of said plates. Fig. 6 represents a detail view in elevation, partly sectioned, of the devices on one side for oscillating the pan. Fig. 7 represents a vertical section through the center of the pan and diaphragm. Fig. 8 represents a horizontal seetion through the hopper-pulley on the line a a, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 represents a horizontal section through the hub of the pan on the line of the openings therein.

A designates the frame of the machine; B, the driving-shaft journaled therein and provided with a balance-wheel, W; O, cone-pulleys arranged on said shaft; D, a frictionwheel carried by said shaft; E, a friction-disk turned by direct Contact with the periphery of said wheel, and mounted on a shaft, F, which is journaled vertically in frame A; G, a chain-wheel carried by said shaft F; H, an endless chain extending from said wheel Gto and around a large pulley, I; J', a hub which turns with said pulley; and K a coneidal diaphragm or disk attached to and turning with said hub. By means of the above connections the rotation of the main shaft or driving-shaft A causes continual rotation of said diaphragm also. Said main shaft also carries near its opposite ends two eecentrics, L, which are arranged with their eceentrieity in opposite directions, so that each will push while the other pulls, and pull while the other pushes. Their oiee is to give alternate endwise reciprocation to two pitmen, M, whereby the pan or tank N is oscillated in a horizontal plane. This pan is, as usual, of somewhat larger diameter than the diaphragm, and is arranged below the same, its hollow hub O acting as a support therefor. A smaller extension, o, of said hub rises within the diaphragnrhub .I (which is also hollow) and affords a journal therefor. The base of this extension closes the top of the hub O, except where a pipe, o', of small diameter affords communication between the interior of hub .I and the interior of hub O. The former hub is provided with a cover,

P,whieh has a small central aperture, p. `Water to prevent heating,or lubricating material, may be supplied through this aperture to the bearings between the hub. If an excess of water or other liquid be accidentally supplied, when it reaches the level of the top of pipe O, which rises considerably above the lower end of hub J, it will iiow out through said pipe into hub O, and thence through the main discharge-pipe @extending radially from the latter. The hub O is mounted in bearings R R, and turns freely with the pan. It has near :its upper end openings nfor allowing the surplus water and tailings of steek to escape into it and thence through said discharge-pipe. The cover P serves also to hold in place the pulley I, which is screwed on hub .I to allow the separation of the parts when that becomes necessary. The body or 'web of said pulley I is depressed toward the center, giving it approximately a hopper shape. Its inner wall is provided with a series of openings, l,whiel1 extend to the bottom of said pulley and allow the stoel; that is fed into said hopper-pulley I to pass through the same and fall on the eentral part of the diaphragm K. Thenee it passes to and over the outer edge of said diaphragm, falling between the same and the raised wall of pan N, so as to enter the latter. In this way the stoel; to be acted en by the pan and diaphragm is supplied thereto.

The side wall ofthe pan has two eastingsat- ICO tached to it or formed with itat opposite points of its periphery. One of these castings (marked s) is shown in Fig. 1. The other is exactly like it; hence illustration is unnessary. Fig. 6 also shows one of these castings. castings has a hemispherical socket formed in it, which receivesaball, s, formed on the operating end of one of the pitmen M. The other end of the pitman has a piston, M', screwed on it and held in place adjustably by a jamnut, m. This piston lits in a cylinder,S,formed in the casting S,against which the eccentric operates. A strap, w, passes over the eccentric which acts against said casting S, to allow said eccentric to draw the latter and the pitman. Said strap and casting are provided with a lubricating device, fw. end of the piston and that of the cylinder an elastic cushion, T, is interposed. This allows the pitman to yield sufliciently to compensate for any variation caused by change of position, and, in combination with the ball-andsocket joint at the other end of the pitman, will insure perfect accuracy of action without strain. The throw of the eccentric is not sufficient to pull the cylinder S from the piston M', nor can the momentum of the pan draw said piston out of said cylinder, since the corresponding` piston, cylinder, and cushion on the other side will prevent the pan from turning too far in that direction. The cushion also prevents all shock. The jam-nut and screw-threaded piston allow the latter to be adjusted so as to regulate the tension of this elastic cushion, and also to compensate for Wear, and consequent lost motion. The tension of the cushion is increased by screwing up said jam-nut, and thus forcing the piston M against said cushion, thereby compressing the latter. Loosening the nut has, of course, the opposite effect.

The bottom of the pan N is raised in a circular ridge, N', midway between its center and its periphery, dividing it into two concentric annular compartments of equal depth and having the bottoms in the same horizontal plane. Each of these annular compartments is provided with a series of pockets, t, having outlets near their lower ends which are provided with valves t. The upper end of each valve t is slotted to allow its adjustment by means of a screw, t3. The inner face of the lower end of each valve t is provided with a pad, t2, which covers a greater or less portion of the outlet of said pocket, according to the degree of said adjustment. The crushed ore is fed over the outer edge of the diaphragm into the outer part of the pan. The heaviest particles will remain in the outer compartment, into which they fall,while the lighter portions of the mass are carried toward the center of the pan by the current of water which is constantly flowing toward the central discharge-openings, 9'. Of these lighter portions, the heavier lodge in the second cOmpartmena'N, and the lightest par- Each of thesev Between the inner tcles, which form the waste or tailings, are carried by the current of water through the discharge-openings r, hollow hub O, and discharge-pipe Q. The production of this result is assisted by the construction and motion of the pan and diaphragm and the friction-plates and spiral flanges thereon, and by the upward jets of water through the water-inlets Z, each of which has a coupling for the attachment of a flexible pipe (notshown) leading from some source of water-supply, and with an upward extension, a, discharging under and against some one of the friction rings. These inlets Z are arranged side by side with the pockets t, respectively. All the aforesaid devices tend by their operation to keep the sediment deposited in the bottom of the pan thoroughly stirred up, thereby permitting the heavier particles to sink to the bottom of the compartments, from whence they may be discharged from time to time or continuosly through the pockets t and the openings therein by opening and closing the valves. The lighter particles of the ore tend to rise to the top of the mass, by reason of the contin nous agitation, in which position they are exposed to the full action of the current of water, which, assisted by the spiral flanges of the rotating diaphragm, separates them from the heavier particles which form the bottom portion of the mass and carry said lighter portion to the discharge-openings. This separation is assisted by the centrifugal force generated by the oscillations of the pan, which give the heavier particles a greater power to resist the action of the current of water and tend to carry them toward the periphery of the pan. The waste matter is drawn toward and through said openings by a coiled flange, U, Fig. 4, which is formed on or attached to the under side of the diaphragm K above compartment N3. This diaphragm also carries friction-plates V, or friction-rings V', arranged above said compartments, so as to stir the contents. These plates or rings are held in place by bolts c, which, as shown in Fig. 7, preferably have supporting-hooks formed at their lower ends. Plates or blocks X, interposed between the bottom of the diaphragm and the top of each friction-ring, aid said hooks in holding said friction-rings in place. Additional bolt-holes may be provided in the diaphragm K to allow the adjustment of said plates or rings as desired, for different ores require different arrangements.

In dealing with very coarse crushed matter I use the friction-plates alone. In dealing with tlner material friction-rings are substituted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the eccentric, the open-end cylinder S, operated thereby, the piston M in said cylinder, the cushion T between the end of the piston and the inner end of the cylinder, the pitxnan M attached to said IOO piston, an oscillating separating-pan, and a l and the hollow hub of the diaphragm, in comball-and-socket joint connecting said pitinan i bination with the extension o, extending from with the latter, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of nut m, screw-threaded pitman M, piston M', cylinder S', and cushion T, with the eccentric L, strap w, and separating-pan, the latter being oscillated by the action of the other devices aforesaid, sub

lstantially as set forth.

3. The perforated cap P, which serves the double function of holding the removable pulley I in place and admitting oil to the hollow hubs ofthe pan and diaphragm,in combination with said hubs and said pulley, substantially as set forth.

4. An oscillatingseparatorpan, in combina tion with a shaft carrying two eccentrics, apair of pitmen operated, respectively, by said eccentries, ball and-socket joints connecting said pitmen to said separator-pan, yielding connections, consisting in each instance of a piston, cylinder, and interposed elastic elishion, between said pitmen and said eccentries, and straps connected to said cylinders and extending over said eccentrics, respectively, substantially as set forth.

5. The hollow hub O of the separatorpan the former into the latter, the perforated cap P, and the pipe o', arranged substantially as set forth.

6. The clampinghooks o and friction-rings V', in combination with a rotating support to which they are attached, and the pan within which said rings operate, substantially as set forth.

`7. A separator-pan provided with pockets t, in combination with valves which close and open the Aoutlets of said pockets to regulate the quantity withdrawn.

8. A separator-pan divided into two Vannnlar concentric compartments having their bottoms in the same horizontal plane and provided with pockets having adjustable valves for regulating withdrawal of ore, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature in GHARLEs A. GOODYEAR, DAVID MITCHELL. 

